Man admits to drunken driving at 90 miles per hour before crashing, injuring 4 teens

LANCASTER - A 24-year-old Baltimore man who was drunk and driving 90 miles an hour before crashing his SUV last September was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Anthony Bibler pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault, fourth-degree felonies, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them, a first-degree misdemeanor. Bibler accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced in Fairfield County Common Pleas Court on Monday.

Bibler's blood alcohol limit was more than twice the legal limit following the crash on Sugar Grove Road near the Savage Hill Road intersection on Sept. 17. There were reports that a deer was in the road, causing Bibler to swerve and crash.

Fairfield County Assistant Prosecutor Joel Walker said there were four teens in the car and they all reported Bibler's driving to be "very reckless." One victim said Bibler was drinking while driving, but none of the other witnesses corroborated that claim.

Walker said at least one of them asked Bibler to stop, but he wouldn't.

As part of Bibler's plea agreement, the other remaining felony charges, including aggravated vehicular assault, were dismissed.

Brandy White, 16, who was the most seriously injured in the crash, asked the judge for leniency. White said they all made the decision to get in Bibler's car even though they knew he had been drinking.

"It was just one huge mistake," she said.

White and her mother asked Berens to avoid a prison sentence, saying it would hurt his ability to find employment and cause a financial burden to his girlfriend and their one-year-old daughter.

Fairfield County Judge Richard Berens said while Bibler has no prior criminal record and a minor traffic offense, he still acted recklessly and must serve a prison sentence. He added that he was not opposed to early release once a reasonable amount of time has passed.

"This scenario had all the makings of a person ending up dead in a traffic crash," Berens said.

Berens sentenced Bibler to two 18-month prison sentences and 180 days in jail, all to run concurrently with each other. He must pay a $375 fine and have his driver's license revoked for three years.

Bibler will report to the Fairfield County Jail on April 30.

sremoquill@gannett.com

740-681-4342

Twitter: @SpencerRemo